This quote proves itself very true in the case of Saravanan R, Senior Test Lead at iXie. Their unwavering passion for gaming led them to iXie, and it continues to propel them forward in the fiercely competitive gaming industry. Join us as we embark on a journey through Saravanan’s remarkable career in the gaming industry. 

Saravanan’s gaming odyssey began in his childhood, just like many gamers, as he immersed himself in brick games and console titles. However, what sets him apart from others is his unwavering commitment to a gaming career right from the onset. In his own words “My passion for games led me to pursue my first job as a video game tester. I instantly fell in love with it and knew it was the right career for me.” 

Entry into iXie 

Saravanan came to iXie with nearly 3 years of experience in game testing prior to which he has worked in a variety of companies. In his prior roles at other companies, his primary focus was on testing console games. However, since joining iXie, he has had the chance to broaden his experience by testing games on various platforms, including PC, mobile, consoles, and more. He’s also had the opportunity to engage in web testing. He states that iXie has been instrumental in expanding his skill set and advancing his career.   

Life at iXie 

On joining iXie one of the first projects he was involved with was a Crane Simulation Game. “It was a fascinating project. We were tasked with testing the simulation created by a game development company boasting a 3000-strong workforce. This company utilized the simulation for employee training, and our role was to ensure its functionality met their standards.” 

One being asked if there were any tools or techniques, he used to complete the project this is what he had to say “In our testing process, we don’t rely on specific tools, as the choice often depends on the device we’re testing. However, our mindset and approach during the testing phase are key techniques. Our way of thinking while testing games plays a pivotal role in our work.” 

His advice to game testers tasked with continuous 8-hour gameplay sessions, is to break down the tasks into smaller, manageable segments and take regular breaks. This approach will make the workload more manageable and keep them focused.   

Future Plans 

Going forward Saravanan plans to learn a whole lot more about testing, gaming and much more to better advance his career. He has a genuine passion for VR technology despite its challenging nature. He finds it an incredibly intriguing field as it offers the chance to explore entirely new and diverse virtual worlds.   

His parting words to aspiring game testers who aim to join this competitive industry are as follows “My advice would be to find a company like iXie that offers excellent growth opportunities and a clear path to advancement. iXie’s Game Training Academy provides free training for anyone interested, making it the ideal destination for aspiring gamers pursuing a career in the gaming industry.” 

He hopes that future game testers will make use of the opportunities around them as getting the job or not getting the job all depends on being at the right place, at the right time, with the right skills. 

The post A Journey Driven by Passion: Saravanan R’s Odyssey in the Gaming World  appeared first on iXie Gaming.

Joining iXie

Sankar has worked in iXie for a decade but the events that brought him here were a total accident. Sankar initially joined Indium through the recommendation of a friend who worked here. It was only after he joined that he learned about the existence of Indium’s gaming division, iXie.

Being an avid gamer, there was no way that Sankar could ignore this opportunity and despite his somewhat shy demeanor, he did just that. His decade at iXie is a testament to his passion and dedication to his work. On being asked how he wants to be remembered when he retires or leaves iXie he gave the following reply “When I do leave iXie, I want to be remembered as fun person to be with.”

Life at iXie

After joining iXie Sankar’s first project involved testing a multiplayer game. Having previously never played AR games, Sankar found it an interesting project and looked forward to testing more games within the genre. “I have worked at other places before iXie, but none of them made me want to stay for long until now. It goes to show just how powerful following your passion can be. I can’t even imagine what I would be doing other than gaming”

When asked what he likes about iXie, Sankar answered that one was the chance to play games and the other was the ability to adjust work-life balance based on his needs. “I like the fact that there is a clear distinction between work and personal life. When I joined iXie I was a bachelor and now I am the father of two daughters. I have experienced and celebrated all of my life’s joys and sorrows here at iXie.”

But while Sankar finds his work enjoyable there are some lowlights as well. While most people believe that game testing or game QA involves just playing a video game and finding bugs, they are not aware of the more tedious aspects of the job. In Sankar’s own words “There are many boring moments. At times we will need to test the same level of the game again and again in order to ensure that it works exactly as designed. Most aspiring game testers are not really aware of this aspect of the job until they start their career.”

Future Aspirations

Currently Sankar is focused on upskilling himself. His interests lie in learning more about current upcoming technologies such as Cloud and Automation. His definition of success is that it is something to be enjoyed. “If you are at a point where you can do what you want, whether it is travel, work or anything else without worrying about not having enough time or money that is when you are truly successful.”

His advice to future aspiring gamers is to enjoy what they do. If they enjoy gaming, then game testing is a good career opportunity for them.

The post The life of a Test Lead through the eyes of Sankar Pandiyaraj appeared first on iXie Gaming.

He looked at the screen and knew that this was what he loved to do. While he had no idea where his passion for gaming would take him, the seeds of his passion first sprouted during his early childhood. 

If we were to describe Naveen in a few words, it would be dedicated, hardworking, somewhat short-tempered and a big Anime lover. His favorite animes are Naruto, One Piece and Death Note.  

How it started 

While Naveen’s love for gaming started in childhood, it was further developed during his college years when he came across a gaming course which led to him entering the gaming industry. His initial interest was in game art production, and he learned the basis of creating game art in this course.  

But while he loved this aspect of the gaming industry it was not enough to keep his interest. In his own words “While game art development was interesting to learn, there were certain limitations on what you can contribute. You will be given a concept and you will draw it out and push it out into the pipeline and that will be it. But as a game tester, you can play different genres of games and give your input which can be used to improve the overall specs of the game. I felt it was important for me to see the games from the user’s perspective and I could do that as a game tester.” 

This eventually led him to iXie. 

From Game Art to Game QA 

His first introduction to iXie was through the IGTA (The iXie Game Training Academy), where he learned everything he needed to know about the gaming industry and about his role as a game tester. After completing his training at IGTA, he joined iXie as a Test Associate in September 2018. Naveen will be completing 5 years with iXie this September. 

On being asked how his time at iXie has helped him scale up this is what he has to say “At iXie, we can learn a lot about all aspects of gaming, not just the technical aspects. The learning at iXie is great.” 

His 5 years of learning and growth at iXie have been a great help to him in his career. From a Test Associate he is now a senior test engineer who is currently working on a pretty cool VR game project. This is a very exciting project for Naveen, as VR is a relatively new field, and he looks forward to bringing this project to fruition. 

Future Goals 

Going forward, Naveen wishes to make use of the knowledge and skills he has in game art production and involve himself in game development in order to expand his scope further. 

His advice to gamers who wish to enter the gaming industry is “You should not expect to be immediately given a high-end game to test when you have just entered the industry. So, keep your expectations to a minimum. Once you are familiar with your job role, you can get exposure to other genres and improve yourself. Game testing is not like other 9-5 jobs with fixed hours where you can come, work and then leave. While the timings are flexible you should also constantly keep improving yourself to advance further in this field.” 

The post Behind the Screen: The Chronicles of Naveen Kumar, Senior Test Engineer  appeared first on iXie Gaming.